ellipse
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A closed curve, the locus of a point such that the sum of the distances from that point to two other fixed points is constant.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihlipsSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪˈlɪps
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
grammar
Ellipsis, the removal from a phrase of a word which is grammatically needed, but which is clearly understood without having to be stated.
geometry
A closed curve, the locus of a point such that the sum of the distances from that point to two other fixed points (called the foci of the ellipse) is constant; equivalently, the conic section that is the intersection of a cone with a plane that does not intersect the base of the cone.
A park in Washington, D.C., United States.
An elliptical oval grassy field in President's Park South
verb
grammar
To remove from a phrase a word which is grammatically needed, but which is clearly understood without having to be stated.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A closed curve, the locus of a point such that the sum of the distances from that point to two other fixed points (called the foci of the ellipse) is constant; equivalently, the conic section that is the intersection of a cone with a plane that does not intersect the base of the cone.
Used this way, ellipse is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a mathematical use: it is defined precisely and belongs to working with figures and calculations rather than to ordinary conversation.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Mathematics
- Geometry
- Academic writing
- Education/classroom
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use ellipse
- “The sums of the distances from the foci to any point on an ellipse is constant.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
A surface whose plane sections are all ellipses or circles.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
A shape that is generated by rotating an ellipse around one of its axes.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: ellipsis
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.